A Tuesday Four Weeks From Now
by soulbound nun
Summary: The Liar Game Tournament has ended, Nao resumes her normal life, knowing the bond that Akiyama and she shared could never be the same. But when she comes face to face with an unsuspecting visitor, Nao must overcome this obstacle no matter the cost. RxR!
1. A Tuesday Four Weeks From Now

**A Tuesday Four Weeks from Now**

While reading a Liar Game blog for spoilers [I'm currently too lazy to read the latest chapters of Liar Game], the idea for this fanfic just popped into my head. It simply began with the confrontation between two characters [won't say who; just read] and a chilling quote said by one of them, but weirdly developed into this… story. Okay. Yeah. I never thought I'd ever write a Liar Game fanfic [the idea never occurred to me until now], but it's pretty interesting. This is sort of an epilogue, of sorts, to Liar Game, with a few story twists and turns [wouldn't be Liar Game without it], and I hope you all will enjoy.

Oh, and yes, the title sounds strange, but it makes sense in context [_read!_].

**This is my first Liar Game fanficcy! Please enjoy!**

**I do not own Liar Game**

* * *

It had been seven months since the end of Liar Game, but it had only been at least four weeks since Kanzaki Nao had seen Akiyama. He meant so much to Nao that she could barely describe it in words. The day Liar Game ended saddened her; it meant the day Nao's road with Akiyama would end. He would visit her sometimes, and they would go out together if there was time, but it wasn't the same as Nao seeing Shinichi Akiyama almost every day during Liar Game, hearing his voice whether he was scolding her or praising her, and having his presence near her. There was a loneliness that ached in Nao, but she tried to not let it bother her. Her life had returned to normal with slight changes. She still visited her father in the hospital, and she kept in touch with Fukunaga, who visited her whenever he felt like it, and the other participants in Liar Game who she befriended, but the bond she shared with them wasn't the same as the bond she shared with Akiyama. There was so much Nao wanted to tell Akiyama whenever she was able to meet him, but the words seemed to always vanish the moment she'd see his familiar face. She remembered the last time she saw him, where her unspoken words led her to a mistake.

_"You're leaving again, Akiyama-san… aren't you?"_

_ "Yeah, I got another part-time job. I have to wake up early in the morning."_

_ "Oh…"_

_ "… Something wrong?"_

_ "No, it's nothing. I was just thinking… This is different, isn't it? Our lives now… compared to our lives in Liar Game…"_

_ "I guess, but you sound like it's almost nostalgic."_

_ "That's because it is. I know we've been through a lot, but I was glad I was able to be by your side. Say… Akiyama-san, there's something I've been meaning to say."_

_ "What?"_

"_I… I don't want to meet you anymore."_

_ "Huh?"_

_ "I don't want that anymore. What I really want is… I want you to–"_

_ "– I got it."_

_ "Eh…?"_

_ "I guess I was worrying too much. You seemed to have adjusted to your normal life just fine. I guess by hanging around you this long… I became a nuisance, didn't I?"_

_ "Akiyama-san, th-that's not what I–"_

_ "– It's all right. You don't have to make excuses for me. I'll leave you alone. I just… want one last request. Can I meet with you four weeks from now? On Tuesday? That's the closest day I have a day off from now, and… I'd really like it if you'd let me see you one last time, Nao."_

_ "… Y-Yes."_

What Nao really meant to say was, "I want you to _stay_."

But instead a misunderstanding occurred. Nao never intended for Akiyama to believe he was becoming a bother; she tried to explain what she really meant to say many times, but she could never find the right chance, just like how she could never find the right chance to tell him how she really felt. Every time she tried to call on her cell phone, she'd either be transferred to his voice mail or Akiyama would tell her, "I'll meet you on the Tuesday I said I would" and hang up the phone before Nao could say a single word.

Today was finally the day that Akiyama would meet her, and this was the last chance Nao had to mend the rift between them. So, when the doorbell rang that day, Nao expected the person on the other side would be Akiyama. She anticipated it. But when she opened her door, Nao found herself staring at the one person she never thought she'd have to see ever again.

"Hello… Kanzaki Nao," greeted the chillingly sinister voice of Yokoya, "Do you remember me?"

Remember him? How could Nao possibly forget about Yokoya? He proved to be a great foe during her days in Liar Game, second to Liar Game itself. Her conflict with him may have started growing when she antagonized Yokoya into returning to the fourth round of Liar Game, but it really began when Akiyama opened himself to Nao and revealed his anguish at the horrible similarities between Yokoya and himself, "that he was no better than Yokoya." At that time, Nao had cried for Akiyama, for she did not know what else to do, but when she saw Yokoya following Akiyama's and her departure from Round Three – the moment she saw Yokoya, Nao instinctively thought, _that man is nothing like Akiyama-san_. That is what truly triggered her confidence that day long ago.

But Nao's confidence was stung at the sight of Yokoya returning to her normal, everyday life. "Yokoya… -san…?" was the only thing she could say in reply to his presence.

"Would you please invite me inside?"

Nao told herself she wouldn't, but her manners caught the best of her and let him inside, just like every time anything Liar Game-related entered her doorway.

Nao sat down in the living room by the table. She watched as Yokoya lingered around her apartment, taking slow and careful steps around the living room, examining every inch of it. She shivered at the reality of having Yokoya inside her home. She reluctantly looked up at him and their eyes instantly locked. Nao didn't know why Yokoya was here, but his ominous expression told Nao that something wasn't right about this visit, especially how coincidental – or not – for Yokoya to visit Nao on the same time Akiyama is going to.

"What are you doing here, Yokoya-san?" Nao hesitantly asked him.

Yokoya stiffly stood in front of her with the small brown table the only obstacle between them. "Do you really want to know?" he answered her question with another question.

Nao really didn't want to know after hearing the threatening tone from behind Yokoya's usual monotone voice, but she knew she couldn't let Yokoya linger any longer in her household. "Yokoya-san, I don't know why you're here, but…" Nao began, "If you're here because of Akiyama-san, he's not–"

"– 'Akiyama-san?' I'm not here because of your precious Akiyama-san. It's here… because of _you_."

Her eyes widened. "_Me?_"

* * *

[RxR!]


	2. A Dangerous Foe

**A Tuesday Four Weeks from Now**

_Reviews:_

Anon- Thanks. I always liked the Nao/Yokoya mind games. It's actually fun to write!

Dagas Isa- Basically, the argument was my way of showing how things can change. With the LGT no longer an obstacle – and with the one thing that brought Nao and Akiyama together in the first place gone and done with – I feel it would actually be difficult for them to have the same relationship they had when they also have to return to their lives before Liar Game. Sorry if it sounded too OOC; I just felt that Akiyama wouldn't misinterpreted the conversation because I assumed he'd figure that Nao would rather resume her everyday life than be reminded of something (or someone) LGT-related.

SnowyReverie- Thank you!

**This is my first Liar Game fanficcy! Please enjoy!**

**I do not own Liar Game**

* * *

"– '_Akiyama-san?' I'm not here because of your precious Akiyama-san. It's here… because of you."_

"_Me?"_

"I could care less about Akiyama when it comes to you," Yokoya murmured lowly, "You, you, you. You destroyed me, you humiliated me, and all I want right now is to hurt you. I had a plan to destroy everything you cherished most, from your little Liar Game friends to your hospitalized father to your special Akiyama-san, and then I would hurt you, but when I thought about it, I realized _I just_ _wanted to hurt you_. Right here, right now. Nothing else matters anymore. I just want to see you squirm and beg for mercy."

Nao gulped a little and bit her lip. Inhaling a breath and a thought of Akiyama, though, was what brought back her confidence. "Liar Game is over, Yokoya-san. You can't hurt anyone anymore," Nao told him as she stood up, no longer looking up to him in inferiority but standing across from him as an equal, "And least of all, you _can't_ hurt me. I think you should leave now."

"Oh, I'm not going anywhere! I'm going to _hurt_ you. I'm going to _destroy_ you," Yokoya let his cleverly twisted words escape his hardened mouth, "I'm going to destroy you the only way a man knows how to destroy a woman."

Nao flinched, understanding the implication immediately. It made her skin crawl and shiver at the very thought of it. From the corner of her eye, she could see her cell phone sitting on the counter – her only access to reach Akiyama – but refused to even glance at it. From her journey through Liar Game, Nao had learned many things. She learned to doubt and to be cautious of others, and she knew that any slight movement made could trigger Yokoya in a matter of seconds. Yokoya circled around the table as Nao took a step back.

"I see you've taken some thought into this, Yokoya-san…," Nao finally admitted after a period of silence fell between them.

Yokoya smiled. "This thought has crossed my mind many, many times. Of course, I took into consideration of a few minor detours. I knew Akiyama would be crushed by the idea of this ordeal, but I also know he could take it under his power to never allow this to happen. You always seemed so strong with Akiyama and all your little friends," he sneered, making his way towards Nao with each slow step. Nao tried to hold her ground, but found herself taking a few more steps back until she no longer could; her back leaned against the wall as Yokoya cornered her. Nao winced as Yokoya took hold of her wrist. "Now look around us. You have no one. You're all alone. You're not so strong anymore. Akiyama isn't here to save you this time. He isn't here to think of some brilliant plan to help you. You have no one to rely on. All I see is a helpless woman standing before me with nowhere left to run."

Sweat trickled down Nao's face. To say she was scared was an understatement. She was _terrified_. But she wouldn't let Yokoya see her fear. She wouldn't allow showing any weakness. As much as she was felt the temptations to run to her cell phone, fight off Yokoya someway, or scream for help, Nao knew that this wasn't the time to be helpless; this was the time to be cunning. Nao took no effort to move; she stayed where she was and kept eye contact with Yokoya. She knew she couldn't beat Yokoya physically, but Nao could try beating him mentally.

"I should have expected this as much. After all, you are a cruel man. But… won't this be… _boring_, Yokoya-san?" Nao asked him sweetly. Yokoya stared at her, brimming with bitterness and anger – and a hint of curiosity at Nao's interesting choice of words. "You've been trying to beat me ever since I beat you in Round Three, or should I say the first time I _antagonized_ you. I forced you to return to Liar Game, Yokoya-san, and you've tried to cause my downfall countless time through cleverness, bribery, lies, and other cruel acts. Comparing then to now, can't you see how your plan seems to lack something?" Yokoya seemed to be listening to her. Really intently. Nao could feel a slight loosening of Yokoya's hold on her wrist. "If you have your way with me, sure, it might hurt me, it might even scar me, but it's _not_ going to _break_ me. After everything I've went through in Liar Game, I don't think there's a thing in the world that could break me. But if you have your way with me, Yokoya-san, it will hurt _you_ even more."

"Hurt… _me?_" Yokoya asked slowly, a chuckle escaping his lips. He was baffled and irritated by such an inferior comment.

"Yes, Yokoya-san," Nao repeated firmly, "It's going to hurt you even more than it would hurt me. Would you like to know why? It's because at the cost of doing this cruel act, you will lose something very important: _your pride_. From a corruptive and calculated mastermind to a lowly man who is using his last resort on a woman that he believes is not even his equal. You may think your pride is your greatest asset, Yokoya-san, but it's really your greatest weakness. It's the reason why you returned to the Liar Game and the reason why you lost Liar Game. Would you really like to risk your pride again, Yokoya-san?"

Yokoya lowered his head. Nao couldn't see the expression on his face, but she knew he was thinking, trying to find a counterattack of some sort. Just when Nao thought Yokoya would release her, he instead squeezed her wrist even tighter as he raised his head with a sly smile on his face. "You're such a _clever_ girl…," he murmured slowly with an edge to his voice, "You thought you almost had me, didn't you? With your little words, with your little mind games… You thought _wrong_."

He tossed Nao aside. She fell on the floor as her wrist had banged onto the table on the way down. She gripped onto her wrist in pain. She could barely move it. Was her wrist bruised or was it broken? Nao didn't have the time to think about that. One of her legs was throbbing too, but Nao ignored it. Each breath felt painful, but she ignored that too. Nao had to do something. She had to move, and she had to move fast. She scrambled to get up, staggering like a marionette on strings, but Yokoya kicked her back down. Nao coughed as she fell onto her side, clutching onto her ribs. She looked up at Yokoya.

Yokoya's eyes twisted. He had Nao where he wanted her. Low and inferior. But there was something wrong. Her face. No matter the threats and harm he caused her, Nao's face continued to hold determination and resistance. And it irritated Yokoya. He tried to kick her again with more force, but Nao managed dodge the attack, rolling to her right. He could hear her breathing, he could see sweat rolling off of her cheeks, but he could also see her face that held an unmoving perseverance. She stared at him with firm, unyielding eyes.

Nao didn't know how to fight. She never went to any self-defense classes – although her father had told her to consider it because she was a young woman living all by herself – and Akiyama, if he knew how to fight, and he probably did, had never taught her. But that didn't matter. Nao knew there were more types of fighting besides physical fights. There were psychological fights, battles between minds was something that Nao was all too familiar with. She may have the disadvantage physically, but mentally, Nao had something. She had a weapon.

As Nao struggled to stand once more, Yokoya was about to deal more damage when he stopped and watched her curiously, wanting to see what she would do next. Would she try to reason with him? Would she run away and hide? Or would she fight? If she reasoned with him, Yokoya would find a way to turn the tables on her words. If she ran away and hid from him, he would definitely find her. And if she fought him, she would surely lose. All these were facts in Yokoya's mind. He watched Nao as she raised her head when she finally managed to stand on her own two feet. Her legs wobbled slightly, so she placed her hand against the wall to steady herself. Strands of her short, brown hair fell over her face, but she didn't fix it. She just stood there, staring at Yokoya. Yokoya could see her shaking legs, her reddened wrist, her trembling hands, the beads of sweat that rolled down her face, and knew by Nao wrapping her arm around her side that her ribs were bruised, if not cracked or broken. But Nao's expression remained the same. _Determined_. To see a broken bird still defiant only increased his irritation.

Yokoya reached his arm out and grabbed Nao by the collar of her sky blue dress. He pulled her close to him that their faces were barely inches apart. He glared at her intensely. Nao wished she could look anywhere else, but forced herself to stare straight back at Yokoya. She knew avoiding his gaze would only show weakness, and Nao would prove to Yokoya that she wasn't his inferior.

Then her cell phone rang… shattering the silence.

* * *

**[RxR!]**


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